Spatial heat treatment of additively manufactured objects

Abstract

A matrix material dispersed with one or more susceptor structures can be formed into a feedstock for an additive manufacturing process. The one or more susceptor structures can be excited by an energy field such as an electric field, a magnetic field, an electromagnetic field, or any combination thereof, to produce heat. The heat that is produced can be transferred to the matrix material that surrounds the one or more susceptor structures to provide heat treatment to the matrix material. The heat treatment can improve the material and mechanical properties of three dimensional objects formed from the feedstock.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A feedstock system for additive manufacturing, the feedstock system comprising:
 a first feedstock, comprising:
 a first matrix material; and 
 one or more first susceptor structures selectively dispersed in a first portion of the first matrix material, wherein the first matrix material comprises at least one second portion, different from the first portion, without the one or more first susceptor structures; and 
 
 a second feedstock, different from the first feedstock, comprising:
 a second matrix material; and 
 one or more second susceptor structures selectively dispersed in a third portion of the second matrix material, wherein the second matrix material comprises at least one fourth portion, different from the third portion, without the one or more second susceptor structures, 
 wherein the one or more first and second susceptor structures are configured to be excited when exposed to an energy field, and 
 wherein the first or second matrix material further comprises a photo polymerization initiator, a thermal polymerization initiator, or both. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The feedstock system of  claim 1 , wherein the energy field is an electric field, a magnetic field, an electromagnetic field, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
       3. The feedstock system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more first and second susceptor structures are configured to produce heat when excited by the energy field. 
     
     
       4. The feedstock system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more first and second susceptor structures are configured to produce heat by electromagnetic induction heating, dielectric heating, or surface plasmon resonance heating. 
     
     
       5. The feedstock system of  claim 1 , wherein the first or second matrix material comprises a thermoplastic polymer, a thermosetting polymer, a photopolymer, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
       6. A method of making a three-dimensional object, the method comprising:
 providing a first feedstock comprising a first matrix material, and one or more first susceptor structures dispersed in the first matrix material; 
 providing a second feedstock, different from the first feedstock, comprising a second matrix material, and one or more second susceptor structures dispersed in the second matrix material; 
 disposing the first and second feedstocks in two or more layers to form the three-dimensional object; and 
 exposing the three-dimensional object to an energy field to excite the one or more first and second susceptor structures, wherein the one or more first and second susceptor structures produce heat when excited by the energy field, and wherein at least a portion of the heat transfers to at least a portion of the first and second matrix materials, 
 wherein the first or second matrix material further comprises a photo polymerization initiator, a thermal polymerization initiator, or both. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the energy field is an electric field, a magnetic field, an electromagnetic field, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the heat produced by the one or more first and second susceptor structures anneals the first and second matrix materials. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 6 , wherein exposing the three-dimensional object to the energy field comprises positioning an energy field source relative to the three-dimensional object, and wherein the energy field source is configured to generate and deliver the energy field to the one or more first and second susceptor structures. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the energy field causes induction heating of the one or more first and second susceptor structures, and wherein the one or more first and second susceptor structures have an average diameter of about 10 nanometers to about 500 micrometers. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the first or second matrix material comprises a thermoplastic polymer, a thermosetting polymer, a photopolymer, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
       12. A method of making a three-dimensional object, the method comprising:
 providing a first feedstock comprising a first matrix material, and one or more first susceptor structures dispersed in the first matrix material; 
 providing a second feedstock, different from the first feedstock, comprising a second matrix material, and one or more second susceptor structures dispersed in the second matrix material; 
 disposing the first and second feedstocks in two or more layers to form the three-dimensional object; and 
 exposing the three-dimensional object to an energy field to excite the one or more first and second susceptor structures, wherein the one or more first and second susceptor structures produce heat when excited by the energy field, wherein at least a portion of the heat transfers to at least a portion of the first and second matrix materials, 
 wherein the first or second matrix material further comprises a thermal polymerization initiator, and wherein the heat produced by the one or more first and second susceptor structures activates the thermal polymerization initiator. 
 
     
     
       13. A three-dimensional object, comprising:
 a first component comprising a first matrix material, and one or more first susceptor structures selectively disposed in at least one first region of the first matrix material, wherein the first matrix material comprises at least a second region, different from the at least one first region, without the one or more first susceptor structures, wherein the one or more first susceptor structures are configured to be excited by an energy field, and wherein the first matrix material further comprises a photo polymerization initiator, a thermal polymerization initiator, or both. 
 
     
     
       14. The three-dimensional object of  claim 13 , wherein the energy field is an electric field, a magnetic field, an electromagnetic field, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
       15. The three-dimensional object of  claim 13 , further comprising a second component, different from the first component, comprising a second matrix material, the second matrix material having a third region, wherein a joining interface of the at least one first region and the third region is a thermally welded joint. 
     
     
       16. The three-dimensional object of  claim 15 , wherein the second component further comprises one or more second susceptor structures disposed in the third region of the second matrix material, wherein the second matrix material comprises at least a fourth region, different from the third region, without the one or more second susceptor structures, and wherein the one or more second susceptor structures are configured to be excited by the energy field.